Minerva's Child
by Kazanesakura
Summary: Adeline Strife had asked the Goddess, Minerva, to grant herself and her husband a child. The child will gain a lot of friends, some will be even more than friends in later years. They lived happily until a sequence of unexpected tragedies befall them. The question is, will things ever be the same again? This is rated M just in case
1. Prologue

**Minerva's Child**

**~Prologue~**

**Ages:**

**Denzel-4 months**

**Aerith-5**

**Tifa-5**

**Nanaki-5**

**Cloud-6**

**Kadaj-6**

**Reno-6**

**Zack-7**

**Genesis-7**

**Rufus-7**

**Lazard-8**

**Yazoo-8**

**Angeal-9**

**Sephiroth-9**

**Tseng-9**

**Vincent-10**

**Alice-10**

It started out as a fine, peaceful day. A young six year old boy ran around the park, laughing loudly as a ten year old girl chased after him. The six year old child's eyes shone a brilliant blue color. It was so bright, almost as though he had mako in his system."I will so catch you, Cloud!" shouted the girl chasing after him. He giggled before jumping over a bench, his blonde spikes of hair swaying a bit as he ran towards the thick forest surrounding their small town.

The young girl ran after him. The girl's waist length red hair flowing behind her as bright blue eyes scanned the forest looking for signs of the boy. She spotted a fraction of white and brown behind a bush. Her white summer dress fluttered as she walked towards the bush. She could barely hold down her chuckles before jumping the boy."Caught you!" she shouted, causing the boy to hop backwards a bit in surprise."Alice! You nearly scared me to death!" the boy exclaimed.

They chased each other for a few moments more before they heard a voice shouting for them."Alice! Cloud! Dinner is ready!" "Coming mom!" replied Cloud. Alice took Cloud's left hand and held it in her right hand."C'mon. We wouldn't want to upset Auntie Adeline, right?" she said, receiving a nod as Cloud's answer. They strolled through the forest path until they reached their home.

A woman with shoulder length blonde hair stood by the door. She wore a green summer dress with a straw hat resting upon her head. The woman had deep blue eyes looking at them."You went into the forest once more, didn't you?" asked the woman in a gentle voice. The two children looked at each other before averting their gazes to the ground in an apologetic manner.

"Cloud!" a boy called out from behind the woman. He had red hair that framed his face. The boy wore a short-sleeved maroon shirt along with a pair of dark brown pants which was just a bit loose on him. Cloud looked towards the boy in question, his bright blue eyes locking with the boy's own blue ones."Genesis!" Cloud exclaimed before he went behind Adeline. Genesis jumped on Cloud causing them both to tumble unto the floor.

"I missed you so much! When Angeal's mom proposed to visit you, I just had to come as well!" upon hearing what the red haired boy declared, Cloud's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before happiness shone in them. He reached up, gently took hold of Genesis's red hair before promptly pulling him down for a hug. "That's great! I missed you guys a lot!" Cloud said in an excited manner.

"What's this? Is that really you Cloud? Have I been gone too long?" a male voice said. Cloud looked up from his position -lying on top of Genesis- to see a man in a lab suit standing by the door. "Uncle Gast!" exclaimed Cloud. "Are Aunt Ifalna and Aerith here as well?" asked Alice, head cocked to her left.

"Why, of course. Would you like to see them?" asked the man, blue eyes referring to the children. "Would we?!" they exclaimed simultaneously before running out of the room. They headed straight for the living room. "Aren't they just precious?" Adeline voiced out. "Just so you know, no matter what happens, we will always protect them. As much as we can, we'll keep them safe." Gast told her.

"I just hope they don't get found. It's alright if we get found out, just not the children. I mean Tifa, Aerith, Nanaki, and Cid as well." she replied back. "Though Nanaki's more politely known as a cub or pup, you know?" Gast pointed out. Adeline chuckled at that, her right hand attempting to cover her mouth. It was true, after all.

In the living room where a plain pink carpet covered the floor, Cloud and his two companions greeted the two females sitting on the dark brown couch. The woman wore a light brown robe, her brown hair reaching to her waist. The young girl, sitting beside the woman, had mid-back length brown hair. She wore a plain pink summer dress.

"Aunt Ifalna! Aerith! Hi!" they greeted together. The woman's blue eyes looked at them with love and care, her lips formed into a soft smile. "Hello, you three. How have you all been?" she asked as she stood, gesturing for them to come closer. "We've been fine." Genesis said, face holding that playful, yet innocent look.

"Are Angeal and Aunt Gillian still here?" asked Alice, blue eyes darting here and there to catch even a glimpse of the two. "Denzel misses Angeal. He sometimes cries for no reason, mumbling something similar to Angeal's name." Cloud added, moving to hug Ifalna and Aerith. "We're right here, you know?" another child's voice entered the conversation.

Alice turned around, blue eyes locking with dark blue ones. The boy at the doorway had shoulder length black hair. He wore a dark purple shirt and a pair of black pants. "Angeal! C'mon, Denzel really wants to see you again! Hurry up, will you?!" Alice exclaimed, pulling Angeal by his left arm. "Oh! Hi, Aunt Gillian! Now, let's go!" she added, dragging the boy upstairs.

A chuckle escaped the woman standing just outside the doorway. She looked like Angeal, ignoring the fact she's a girl. She wore a dark red dress reaching just below her knees. "Aunt Gillian!" Cloud called out. "Sorry about Alice... She really does want Denzel to stop crying all the time..." he added. Genesis took this time as an opportunity to get between Aerith and Cloud, clutching the latter's left arm like a lifeline.

"Cloud!" a cheerful voice called out. The one in question turned to the door when a boy with spikey black hair came in, running toward the blonde. Behind the black haired boy was a boy with equally spikey red hair. This one also ran towards Cloud. The black haired boy wore a violet shirt and a pair of black shorts. The red head wore a dirty white shirt and a pair of black slacks.

Cloud outstretched his arms, ready for a hug. Genesis pulled him out of the way, though, causing the two children to bump into each other. Blue met with blue as the two newcomers' eyes clashed. They glared at each other, before the red head spoke up. "You are so lame, Zack!" came the shout. "Well, I wasn't the one who tripped over his own two feet! That was you, Reno!" the black haired one shot back.

They were about to have a childish wrestle when the door was opened and a pair of silver haired boys came in. "Brother!" they shouted. Both had green eyes and shoulder length hair. They both wore pale yellow shirts. The shorter one wore a pair of black jeans, the taller one wore a pair of dark brown jeans.

"Hey! You cheated Yazoo!" shouted the shorter one, eyes locking with the other's. "Did not! You were just so slow that I accidentally bumped into you to get to brother." Yazoo said, arms crossing over his chest. "You both could have gotten hurt, you know?" a female voice added. They looked to the doorway where a woman with brown hair stood. Her brown eyes watching the scene with care. She wore a dark green lab coat. A smile rested upon her lips. Behind her, two other children stood.

One had mid-back silver hair and emerald green eyes. He wore a grey shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. The other had equally long black hair and red-brown eyes. He wore a red jacket over a white shirt along with a pair of dark brown pants. "Hey guys." Cloud greeted them with a smiling face. "No way am I letting you in first!" "I've been waiting to see him again just as long as you, Rufus." A pair of boys ran into the living room, looking to be out of breath.

One had pale blonde hair covering his blue eyes a bit. He wore a plain blue shirt with a pair of indigo shorts. The other had black hair which reached his shoulders and partly covered his black eyes. He wore a dark brown shirt along with a pair of black pants.

"Hey guys... I'm going upstairs. Aunt Lucretia said Alice was there, so I'm going to greet her, alright?" another voice said. A boy with blonde hair walked to the staircase, his blue eyes gazing at them from behind eyeglasses for a moment before he looked forward again. He wore a dark green shirt and a pair of brown pants.

"Sooo... How're things going with you, Ifalna, Lucretia?" asked a man who wore a white shirt and a pair of brown pants asked. He had just walked into the room when the boy went upstairs. The man had dark brown hair which partly hid his violet eyes. Behind him was a red lion like creature, its tail had a small flame which did not seem to bother it at all.

"Hello, everyone." the lion greeted. "Nanaki! You came to visit, too!" Zack exclaimed, going to pat the cub's head... Until a girl came barging in on them. "Cloud! Let's go out to the well today!" she shouted, her mid-back length brown hair fluttering behind her. She was rendered silent as her brown eyes landed on Zack. She wore a simple attire comprising of a pink shirt and a pair of brown shorts.

_Oh... They're here, too..._ She thought. Envy spiked up in her heart as she saw Genesis clutching on Cloud's right arm. A boy with blonde hair walked in behind her. The boy's blonde eyes shining a bit as they landed on the boy with red eyes. The blonde wore a light brown shirt with matching shorts. They all had lunch together.

The moment was filled with laughter, jokes and stories of all kinds. Things were peaceful for the time being until they'd heard Tifa's father shout at them to hide...


	2. Chapter 1

Minerva's Child Chapter 1

The sun rose upon the city of Midgar. Markets of all kinds opened as the day began, marking the start of a new chapter in each of their lives. The ShinRa main building was busy as ever, new cadets entered the infamous company. Everything seemed fine as it was.

In the upper levels of the building, where the rooms of the esteemed SOLDIERs and the Turks were located, a teen aged boy with waist length silver hair walked from his room to his office. He wore a leather coat over his white shirt. The coat reached to an inch above his feet. Black pants went along with his coat as well as a pair of black boots. His hands were wrapped with a pair of black leather gloves. The boy's emerald green eyes were cold, betraying none of his inner turmoil.

His office was neat and well-organized. A plain wooden desk sat at the center. To its sides were drawers full of files concerning cadets and missions. A few steps behind the desk was a wall of glass. The teenager gave out a tired sigh as he entered the office. Once he sat down on the chair just behind the desk, he pulled a picture out from his own personal drawer. It was of a boy with blonde hair that stuck out in all directions. His right hand tracing the boy's face with gloved fingers. He breathed another sigh, this one of longing. _When will they let you out? _He thought to himself.

A knock on his pristine white door took him out of his thoughts. Placing the picture of the blonde back into the drawer, he let the knocker in. The door opened to reveal a young man who looked to be his mirror image, if not for the black hair and red eyes. The man wore a red cape over a black shirt along with a pair of black pants and a pair of black leather boots. The newcomer met eyes with him before greeting him with a nod. He nodded back, voicing out a question he had never thought of asking... "Vincent... When do you think he would be let out?" they both believed it would take a bit longer than this before they let _**him **_out but, hey... They can still hope, right?

Vincent was just about to answer when a teen boy with blonde hair came rushing in. This caused them both to worry, for the boy never did anything without grace anymore. "Rufus?" Vincent greeted in a questioning voice. The blonde looked at him before blue eyes rested on the one behind the desk. "They're letting Cloud out today!" was the only thing Rufus said before he ran off once more.

"Was it just me hearing things or did he..." the silver haired boy trailed off, his eyes looking at Vincent for an answer. "Yes, Sephiroth. Rufus just shouted that Cloud is to be let out today..." was the answer. Once the shock subsided, Sephiroth instantly stood up making his chair nearly topple over, before he raced out the , temporarily forgetting the reports to be submitted, followed after him.

While they were on their way to the science department, Rufus had rushed into the office of his brother. The office's occupant gave an inaudible sigh as a hand massaged his temples. "What is it now?" asked the blonde before his blue eyes met with equally blue ones. He sighed again taking in his little brother's appearance. The white coat in disarray, the white pants slightly tainted with what appeared to be mako, and blonde hair so messy one would think he'd just gotten out of bed. "Lazard! Guess what?" Rufus greeted him. Lazard just sighed once more into his hands as he stood up from his seat.

He pretended to get dust off of his black trench coat and purple shirt before walking towards Rufus. Lazard's right hand adjusted his eyeglasses as his left hand went about digging for something in the pockets of his dark blue pants. Seemingly finding what he was looking for, he pulled out a comb. Handing it to Rufus, he addressed the heir's appearance and lack of finesse. "Oh come on! I came here to tell you that-" "Cloud has been allowed to leave the labs?" Lazard finished.

"H-How..." Rufus looked so confused. Lazard just chuckled, playfully ruffling his brother's already tussled hair before he gave an answer. "Alice likes to know everything concerning the ones she cares for. She was just about to spread the news to all of you..." Rufus just blanched at that. Once he regained his bearings, he tugged on Lazard's right arm, pulling the Director of SOLDIER with him. "We are going to prepare a welcome back party with or without _**that**_ person's approval." Rufus said, spitting the word 'that' as though he were referring to something immoral and horrific.

On their way to wherever it was Rufus wanted to get to, they ran into two silver haired boys. The taller one had hair reaching to just below his shoulder blades and the shorter one had hair reaching to just above his shoulders. "Kadaj! Yazoo! You guys are going to skip out on classes today, hear me?" Rufus told the two in greeting. The taller of the two sighed, hands tucked inside the pockets of his black jeans. His right hand went to clean his black shirt of imaginary dust.

The shorter one gave a somewhat similar response, blue eyes seemingly taking interest on the floor. The shorter one wore the same outfit as the taller one. "Why do we have to skip today?" asked the taller one. "Because, Yazoo. Just because." Rufus' answer was vague to say the least. "That is not an answer." replied a slightly annoyed Yazoo. Rufus was about to throw a reprimand back when a female voice reached them. "Hey guys! Cloud's going to be let out today!" was heard before the shouter promptly left in search for their other friends.

"Brother will be let out... Today?" the shorter silver haired boy repeated in a questioning voice. "Yes, Kadaj. That's why you both are skipping today." Rufus informed them. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?!" the two shouted at the same time. They all rushed to their apartment where a teen aged boy with black hair that was tied into a ponytail greeted them at the door. The teen wore a black dress suit over a white polo shirt along with a pair of black pants. The boy's black eyes looked at them in curiosity.

"You came just now because...?" "I had to get them to come with me, one way or the other!" Rufus all but shouted at the pale teen. "Tseng, is it true?!" Kadaj exclaimed as he moved in front of Tseng. The said teen just sighed at the silverette's childish behavior. Behind him, another teen with black hair was straightening some streamers. The teen turned around as they entered the room, his deep blue eyes holding a bit of humor. He wore a black shirt and a pair of dark violet pants."What do we have to do, Angeal?" asked Yazoo, who received a smile as an answer.


	3. Chapter 2

Minerva's Child Chapter 2

The mission was fairly easy to say the least. All he had to do was eliminate a horde of monsters threatening the outskirts of Banora. That is to say facing off against 15 Blood Tastes were a laughing matter and just some sorta child's play for you. _It's official. _Hethought as one of the larger beasts aimed for his back. _The Planet and the company both hate my guts. _He swung his massive sword over to slice through the creature's chest.

Blood splashed onto his dark blue SOLDIER uniform. His gloved hands gripped tighter on the hilt of his sword. Blue eyes darted to his left before zoning in on the one to his right. The Blood Hound charged towards him and as it was merely inches away from him, he cut it's head off, the blood spraying everywhere.

Most of it hit his black hair making the spikes flatten. He gave a groan as his thoughts wandered off to his family. _Angeal's so not gonna let me near Denzel unless I shower first... But knowing the kid, he'll be waiting for me at the entrance. _He sighed at the thought. Gaia, he is so dead when he gets back.

A young ten year old child sat on a chair at the lobby of the ShinRa building. He wore a plain white polo shirt along with a pair of knee length yellow-brown shorts. He hummed a random tune as his legs swung back and forth. His blue eyes darted to the sliding glass doors every few seconds, awaiting the arrival of one of his 'brothers'. A girl came over to him, her own blue eyes looking at him with gentleness. She wore a white t-shirt underneath a black suit complete with a pair of black jeans.

She smiled at him as she patted his spikey brown hair with her right hand. Her other hand went to comb through some strands of her waist length brown hair. The boy looked questioningly at her, eyes conveying his confusion. "You should go on upstairs. Zack will just head over if he does not see you here."\"But I want to welcome him home! No one else would..." the child replied, blue eyes looking at her in a broken manner.

"Why don't I welcome him home today? You could go help the others prepare." "For what, Alice?" "Well, Denzel... For Cloud." "Really?!" Alice nodded and just like that, Denzel went off to help his family.

It wasn't long before the doors of the esteemed Shin-Ra company opened and a teen stepped inside. His dark blue eyes scanned the lobby area for the familiar boy who always welcomed him back. Instead, his roaming eyes found a young woman. "Hey, Zack. Welcome back.." "Alice... Where's Denzel?" asked Zack, blue eyes still scanning the room. Alice easily spotted the panic and fear in them. She gave him a soft, calming pat on his right shoulder before vaguely explaining the situation to the man.

"Denzel's back in our apartment. They are planning a welcome home party for my cousin." at that, Zack's eyes widened before he all but ran to the elevator. Alice chuckled at his seemingly childish nature before she went on her way as well. As they reached the Turks' floor, the doors swung open and another teen with fiery red hair hopped on the ride.

His clothes were a bit ruffled-black coat halfway opened to reveal a plain white shirt underneath, his neck tie was a mess, and the dark blue pants he wore were all ruffled. "Yo! It's true, yeah? About _him_...?" came the uncertain greeting. Alice chuckled quietly before giving a nod his way. "Yes. We get to be with him again, Reno." she replied.

A sigh fell through thin lips as she watered the flowers in the church. Her right hand went to fix the pink ribbon which held her waist length brown hair together. Her left hand dusting her pink robe as she stood from her kneeling position by the flowerbed. Her blue eyes gazing at the sky through the window to her left. She closed her hands together in front of her breast before she began to make her way outside where another teen greeted her.


End file.
